The Osterman Weekend Reviews

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was the last directorial effort by Sam Peckinpah, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, while watching the damned thing, I have to admit that I was constantly scratching my head though. Seriously, from the beginning until the very end, the whole thing didn’t seem to make much sense. Apparently, this movie was supposed to be Sam Peckinpah's big comeback but he actually didn’t like the novel it was based on, he didn’t like screenplay either and the editing was botched by the producers who chose not to involve Peckinpah in the process. Eventually, before writing this review, I wondered if Roger Ebert did see it and, well, apparently, he shared my feelings. In fact, he even hated the damned thing and I can’t say I blame him. For example, you might wonder what was the point of all the nudity involved. Did it really have any added value or connection at all with this spying business?  There was also an interesting cast involved (Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chris Sarandon, Burt Lancaster), they did what they could with this material and I guess there was some kind of sadistic fun to see them swimming and trying desperately not to drown in this mess. Indeed, the damned thing was definitely a mess and, unfortunately, not on purpose. Yet, somehow, I do think that the weird editing and directing choices did enhance the whole paranoid mood which did work for such a spy conspiracy thriller. Eventually, it makes me almost want to read Robert Ludlum's book to see if it at least made more sense than this film did. Anyway, to conclude, I think my rating was probably too generous here but I guess it might still be worth a look but probably only if you are really interested in Sam Peckinpah’s work.